This invention relates generally to textured window films.
There are many styles of real textured glass. Real textured glass can include cathedral glass, pot metal glass, architectural glass, hand wrought glass, rolled glass, or any other type of glass that may be modified or manufactured in some way, typically while in a molten state, to produce some sort of textured effect or altered visual impression. Different examples of textured glass styles include pebbled, waved, water glass, etc. The textured surface of the glass provides privacy by distorting images that may be viewed from an opposite side of the window while at the same time allowing a substantial amount of light to pass through the window.
Some real textured glass also provides an additional aesthetic appeal with the use of particular textured shapes and colors. For example, stained glass which comes in a broad range of colors that provide the privacy of textured glass while letting some amount of light to pass through the stained glass window. The stained glass also provides an aesthetic appeal with different combinations of glass colors and glass shapes. However, clear and colored textured glass windows and stained glass windows are expensive to manufacture and install.
Window films are applied to windows to provide privacy. However, current window films do not provide the same visual characteristics provided by real textured glass. Current window films provide privacy by blocking or diffusing a substantial amount of incoming light. For example, current window films may use a cloudy grey or other opaque material that both diffuses and reflects the incoming light.
Unfortunately, these diffusion and reflection characteristics reduce the amount of light that can pass through the window and causes the surface of the window to appear dull and grey. Different colored designs may be printed onto the window film. These light diffusion and reflection characteristics tend to dull the colors and designs applied to the window film further reducing the aesthetic appeal of the window.
In contrast, real textured windows provide privacy by refracting light which distorts images viewed from an opposite side of the window. These refraction characteristics of real textured glass produce a brighter more sparkling window surface that has an increased aesthetic appeal over current window films. One analogy is that the window film provides visual characteristics similar to a light grey plastic cup while real textured glass provides a vibrant visual characteristic more like a crystal glass.
Window films can also be difficult to install. Window films typically use an adhesive on one side to attach to the window. During installation, these adhesive surfaces can stick to each other. This requires the two contacting surfaces to be forcibly pulled apart which can then damage the film surface, for example, by creating cracks, creases or stretch marks. The adhesive surface also prevents the window film from being easily removed or repositioned on the window.
Current window films are very thin increasing the possibility that the adhesive surfaces of the film will bend over and attached onto itself causing more installation problems and also increasing the possibility that the film will be damaged. The thinness and composition of these window films also increase the possibly that the film with retain creases or crack during installation. For example, conventional polyester window films are around 1.0 thousands of an inch (mils) thick.
The present invention addresses this and other problems associated with the prior art.